Hollow
by inkShade
Summary: I shivered as a drop of cold rain slipped under my hair and tricked down my back. My hands were numb and my body ached, but a quick glance below at the pack of monsters surrounding my tree made it clear I wasn't getting anywhere anytime soon...
1. Chapter 1

Introduction:

I tried to write this story with a bit of realism, and while I've changed some things to fit my needs it does still share many of the common points and characters of the games. As for the rating, while the story does start off safe it will get darker as it progresses. To those who stick around for the show, I hope you enjoy! If you leave a comment or something I would greatly appreciate it. If this isn't your cup of tea I thank you for stopping by anyways. :)

Update 02/22/12: Made some corrections to the grammar and story. I think maybe I should really consider finding a beta lol... Having a second set of eyes makes it easier to catch mistakes.

Disclaimer: Pokemon is the property of Nintendo. I wrote this for the fun of it and nothing more.

xXx

Hollow

As I sit here ignoring the rain, thunder and the hostile growls that surround me I wonder, what does it mean to be a trainer?

Well, says the movie industry, it's about defeating bad guys and saving the world from one of the many global catastrophes that never seem to happen in reality but are totally plausible! Promptly following that I imagine them to excuse themselves to go swim in their pools of money while I dream of a hot meal and a warm place to sleep.

Well, JubiliTV interrupts my wishful daydreams with a the most convincing fake smile I have ever seen, it's about winning tournaments and the approval of strangers across the globe before falling into obscurity following your much deserved retirement! After which they move onto news of scandalous photographs of people I don't know or care about.

Well, Says the grouchy old man living down the street, It's about proving exactly how useless you are to society by dropping out of school to chase diseased rats and sleep in caves while your family worries for your safety- But nobody ever cared what he had to say.

Gripping the rough bark of the tree in numb hands, I tried to ignore the shivers and aches going through my body. How long had I been up here? I couldn't read my watch with the poor lighting and the sky had been black for some time now, I had no idea if the sun was still up. I was however thankful that the rain had finally begun to subside. I looked down at the pack of monsters below. Making eye contact with the largest of them the growling resumed once more making it clear that I wasn't getting anywhere anytime soon. Most of them had settled themselves down comfortably under the tree, what I assumed was their alpha would pace in front of me, head down and teeth bared, eyes always on me.

My stomach chose that moment to whine and I slapped a hand to my forehead. I sniffed quietly and clenched my eyes shut for a moment.

"What do you want from me?" I screamed down at them, "I can't do anything to you, I'm not a threat! I'm sorry about... Just let me go!"

They only stared up at me. Soon one of the mightyena started making a strange yipping sound and the others followed suit, I realized they were laughing at me. I felt a heat rise in my face and a tightness grip my throat. I wanted so badly to hurt them right then... but I was helpless. What could I do now but stay up here out of their reach? Why couldn't they just leave me alone... I grabbed my hair and pressed my face to the tree trying my best not to listen to their laughter. I hid my face with my arm and pressed my palm to my ear, trying my hardest not to think about anything. I was shaking hard and it wasn't completely the weathers fault.

A terrified yelp cut off their laughter and I snapped my head around to see what had happened. There was a sudden commotion in the pack as they all scrambled to hide behind the tree, peering around the corner at something rustling in the tall grass. Some began to back away while others paced, growling nervously. I stretched my head forward straining to catch a glimpse wondering what could possibly scare a pack of fully evolved mightyena. I saw a flash of dark fur, it had looked purple in the gloomy light but I couldn't be sure. I quickly racked my memory trying to remember all the furry purple pokemon it could possibly be. By the way the grass rustled it actually didn't seem like it was to big and was moving at a rather slow and steady pace. The only pokemon that I could come up with were rattata... Maybe a nidoran, but that didn't seem right. Weren't they at the bottom of the food chain? What tiny creature could possibly spook a pack this big?

Finally it reached the edge of the grass and came into view. It stopped and took in the scene before it. Baring its large front teeth with its tail held high and shaking in warning the stunky crouched low to the ground. It began a slow and purposeful advance. The stunky was less than half their size and demanded control of the field.

I watched with fascination as the pack grew more and more agitated. They fidgeted, whined and growled. To my amusement a few even did an awkward prance backwards. Many of them glared up at me, furious with this turn of events. Finally it seemed their alpha had had enough of this and dashed forward, hackles raised and snarling. It snapped at the stunky and it screeched in response, dashing away trying to put the tree between itself and its attacker. The mightyena was faster and caught the little creature up in its jaws only to drop it and leap back with a pitiful yelp. It gagged and swiped at its own nose as if trying to wipe something away. The stunky let loose once again, this time getting the mightyena right in the face.

It took a moment but the stench eventually reached me high in the tree and I retched. I forced myself back under control and pulled my shirt up over my nose, eyes watering I watched as the stunky began to advance on the rest of the pack, this time it walked backwards as if daring them to try anything. Their leader was forced into a crying retreat and the rest jolted into a run for the forest, I'd been forgotten.

"Finally!"

I whipped my head around and caught sight of a trainer rising up from behind some bushes a small distance away. He was laughing to himself, watching as the last of the canines disappeared into the safety of the trees.  
>"You okay up there?"<p>

I nodded my head and hastily rubbed the tears from my eyes, "Yeah. Is that your pokemon?" My voice sounded weak and I fought the urge to gag.

He laughed and was about to respond but instead grunted in disgust covering his nose with his own shirt, "I'm never going to get used to you."

He gave his pokemon a quick scratch behind the ear as if to thank it then withdrew it. "Yeah, he's mine. You're lucky I found you you know, this is waaaayyy off the path and those guys looked ready to kill," he looked up at me, "Are you going to come down or stay up there all day?"

I struggled with the climb, not quite remembering how I'd managed to get up here in the first place. By the time I got to the ground my palms were stinging from gripping the tree so tightly and I was sure I'd rubbed my jeans thin. He took a hold of my upper arm to help me balance once I hit the ground and found I was grateful for the assistance, my knees were shaking and I felt very tired and sore.

"Geez, how long did they have you up there?" He finally took notice of my state now that I was down and right in front of him. I was completely soaked from the rain and covered with mud from when I'd had to run. I must have looked a complete mess.

"I don't know," I gently pulled myself from his grasp and steadied myself, "A while I guess. Felt like forever."

He dropped a bag from his shoulder and I recognized it as my own, he held it out to me, "I found this by the road side. One of the mightyena was trying to get into it so it's a little roughed up. What did you do to piss them off?"

I opened my back and wrinkled my nose at the mess inside. One of my water bottles had been poked full of holes and some of the fruit I found earlier had been trampled and squashed into my clothes. My money tin was dented up but looked fine otherwise. The bag itself had several tears but nothing to serious. I pulled out a shirt and second pair of jeans from deeper in the bag; it was wet but still better than what I was wearing now,

"I tried to catch one of their puppies, I didn't realize the whole pack was nearby so they heard it yelping when it saw me", I stepped behind the tree and started stripping down.

"... Yeah, it's generally a bad idea to try and catch one of those guys without a stronger pokemon to protect you. You're a beginner huh?"

"You could say that," I pulled my shirt down and stepped back out offering him a small smile. "I didn't thank you for your help so... Thanks."

He grinned back, "Hey, no worries! We have to look out for each other out here, you know?"

"My name's Greg." He offered me his hand and after a brief pause I took it.

"I'm Alex."

"Well I'm gonna hit the road now that the weathers finally cleared...", He trailed off and gave me a quick look over as if noticing something for the first time, "Hey um... Did you lose something?"

"No, why?" I'd gone back to inspecting the tears in my bag wondering if I'd be able to fix it.

"Are your pokemon okay?" I looked up and saw his eyes searching my belt and the straps of my bag as if something were missing.

"Yup, I didn't send them out."

He stayed quiet for a moment.

"Um, if you want I can escort you back to town... It's not far so I wont be wasting much time and you're hurt so-"

"Naw it's fine. Thanks for offering," I tossed my bag over my shoulder and gave him the cheeriest smile I could muster. "I can take care of myself. Thanks for everything Greg. Good luck with your travels!"

"... You too."

I walked back to the road without a second look behind me. Once I'd put enough distance between myself and the forest I stopped and took a deep breath. I moved my bag around so I could reach into it and withdrew my only pokeball.

I never wanted to be a trainer, this was never the life I saw for myself but sometimes things just have a way of working against you. My grip tightened on the ball and I grit my teeth at the memory. Bastard could at least have given me a starter, what was he thinking tossing me out into the wild like this?

The answer was simple of course, he didn't care. Out of sight out of mind. What would I do the next time I was attacked? I can't always be so lucky, there won't always be a Greg out there to hear my screams.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. If I was going to survive I would just have to catch my own starter.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

I lay in the tall grass trying my best not to breath to loudly. I watched the purple rat nibble on some sort of nut, ears perked and whiskers twitching. Holding the enlarged ball at the ready I tried to creep forward without a sound.

Its ears twitched and it suddenly looked in my direction holding perfectly still. I held my breath and froze.

_Look away look away look away..._

It turned and ran. I let out a scream of frustration, got up and ran after it, "Get back here you little-"

My foot caught and I slammed into the dirt. I gasped for breath trying to hold back the tears.

_Why? Why is this so hard?_

I rolled over and moaned into my arm. I couldn't even catch a rattata, the most common and weakest pokemon roaming these plains. Sniffling I sat up and rubbed my eyes with a dirty sleeve. In the distance I could see the purple rat sitting on a boulder watching me.

_Probably laughing at me,_ I thought bitterly.

I hugged my knees to my chest and took a few deep breaths. I rested my chin on my knees and tried to think rationally.

_Rattata might not be the best pokemon out there but maybe that's why their so quick to notice me. They're food for all the bigger pokemon, they have to be smart and fast to survive... Does that mean I want a slow dumb pokemon? I grimaced, I was ready to take anything at this point._

I got up and dusted off my clothes, I saw the rattata jump off the boulder and disappear out of the corner of my eye. I sighed and started back to where I'd hidden my bag. It was starting to get dark and I wanted to find a safe tree to sleep in tonight. After learning first hand what some of the larger beasts were capable of I decided I would rather risk the bugs and birds. They at least weren't capable of tearing my throat out in my sleep, they'd have to peck me to death or something and that would wake me up real fast.

I tilted my head back and breathed in as a warm breeze blew over me. I listened to the rustle of leaves and chirping of some distant pidgey. The sky was turning a deep orange, the beauty of it calmed me and for just a moment I forgot all my troubles. The world didn't seem so bad. I was still alive and there was plenty of fruit along with my own dried foods to keep me full... I did wish I had a cheese burger though. I smiled to myself for the first time in days.

As I approached the bush I'd hidden my bag under I slowed to a stop and stared. The branches on the bush had been cracked and pushed aside in a tangle as if something had been forced out from under it. I ran forward and dropped to my knees, an icy panic rising from my stomach into my throat threatening to choke me: My bag was gone.

I grabbed my hair with both hands. _My bags gone. All my money... Everything I own, its all gone. It's GONE!_

I felt tears escape as I leaped to my feet and searched every bush and behind every tree; something must have taken it, "There has to be a trail, there has to... I'll find it. I'll find you, you thieving little monster..."

I wiped my nose on my sleeve and continued searching deeper and deeper into the trees. I started crying a little more loudly now, I didn't care what heard me, "This can't be happening, it can't be... Why does everything happen to me?"

I sat back on my ankles and sobbed loudly into my hands. This wouldn't be happening if she hadn't died..._ I'd still be at home. I'd be warm and safe, I'd still have my friends and-_

I choked back my sadness and my mind went quiet,_ What was that?_

I looked up from my hands and heard more rustling. I got up and made my way quietly towards it, taking care not to step on any branches or rustle any leaves of my own. I started hearing a growling followed by a loud ripping sound. There, several meters ahead of me I found a small grey black puppy digging into my abused bag. I felt a rage build inside of me as I recognized it as a poochyena. Rational thought was gone as I immediately assumed it was the same one that had gotten me into trouble before. It was back and it was determined to ruin what little I had left in this world.

I looked down and slowly picked up the largest stick I could find then locked my gaze onto the oblivious little mutt. I walked slow at first then broke into a jog. By the time it noticed me it was to late, I'd swung my foot back and kicked it with all my strength. It yelped before hitting a tree and fell to the ground with a soft thump. It struggled pitiably to regain its footing, whining. It looked up at me with a terrified expression and tried to get away, yelping more and more loudly.

"Oh no you don't!" I growled through clenched teeth, bringing the stick over to crack sharply against the back of its head. Its cries were cut off as its head slammed into the ground and its jaws clicked shut. It whimpered in pain and struggled as I looked down at it breathing heavily. I hated pokemon right then more than I'd hated anything before in my life. It was a strange sensation looking down at this creature and knowing there was nothing to stop me from stamping out its miserable little existence... But through the rush I slowly started coming back to myself. I felt my anger slowly ebb away and realized that it was no good to me dead. I fished in my pocket and pulled out my single pokeball and let it roll off my fingers. I watched it slow as it came down to meet the poochyena. It tapped against it gently before dissolving its form into a red glow and sucking it inside. There was barely a struggle before it pinged shut.

I stared at the ball now containing my very first pokemon. After all this time I'd finally caught one and instead of feeling proud and victorious I felt... Hollow. Wasn't your first pokemon supposed to make you feel wonderful? Shouldn't I feel amazing for just catching it on my own? Perhaps if I was sure it would live after the beating I had given it. Now that I was thinking straight I realized how small it had really looked, how helpless it must have felt. I was snapped out of my depressing thoughts by a howl that rose up in the distance and I felt cold. Was that its parents? Don't be ridiculous, that came from so far away- But what if it was? What if they realized what I'd done? That I'd attacked, harmed and stolen their pup?

I jumped into action. Grabbing my bag and quickly shoving my scattered belongings inside I wore it over my chest to help me hold it together and I set off at a trot to get as far from the scene of the crime as I possibly could. I would not be caught by them again.

After I'd reached the path I continued to speed walk quickly in the direction of a small town I knew to be nearby and despite walking for well over an hour with no sign of pursuit I would catch myself glancing behind nervously every so often expecting something to leap out of the shadows at me. Soon I found that exhaustion was slowly starting to overpower my sense of self preservation, I just didn't have the strength to go on for very much longer. I'd spent the entire day chasing rats in the field and it was now 4 am and I was still walking. My shoulders were aching and my eyes felt heavy. My feet began to drag before I finally came to a stop. I stepped off the path and lay down. Using my bag as a pillow I let my eyes drift shut and I fell into an uneasy sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

The sun felt warm and pleasant on my face as I rolled over and stretched. The aches I used to get from sleeping on the hard ground had stopped a long time ago as I'd slowly gotten accustomed to it, though I did still find my muscles stiff in the morning. I did wish I had more than a jacket to use as a blanket and did occasionally wonder what I would do once the colder seasons came around but I always decided I would deal with that as it came, for now I had to get back on my feet and start making some money before the little bit I was given ran out.

I propped myself up on one hand and took in my surroundings. It looked like every other place I'd walked by so far, tall grass, forest in the distance and a dirt road cutting right through it all. I crossed my legs and rubbed my eyes as I yawned. I did a quick brush through my hair with my fingers before reaching back to my pack and pulling out a bag of jerky and bottle of water for breakfast. I noted that a good portion of the jerky I'd had left had disappeared and frowned. Putting a strip of the meat into my mouth I pulled out my pokeball and clicked it open. In a dazzling flash of light the puppy appeared. It's back was to me and was laying down. Once it realized that it was outside it leaped to its feet and looked around wildly before realizing that I was behind it. Him, I corrected myself after a quick examination.

I noticed a limp as he turned to face me. His ears were laid back, his fur on end and he kept his side to me as he made a small whimper.

"Well it's good that you're ok, I was worried I'd killed you last night."

He didn't respond, only watched me with wide scared eyes. I thought to myself a moment and then reached a hand out to pet his head but he only leapt back with a yelp, rushing to put space between us. I sighed and scratched my head. Here I finally had a pokemon and I'd convinced it that I was some sort of evil bitch. I bit through the jerky and pulled the rest away to look at it as I chewed. Looking over at the poochyena I suddenly had an idea. I crumpled the bag and put it down behind me with my water bottle. Getting on my knees I leaned forward offering the food to the young pup. He jerked back, looking from the food to me and back again, ears switching back and forth. He was on edge and clearly didn't trust me.

"C'mon, I'm not going to hurt you. Take it!"

He whimpered and kept his distance. I dropped my hand and frowned at him. After a moment I recalled him and decided to try again later, he was going to get hungry eventually and I didn't trust him to follow me wherever I went. He'd probably try to make a run for it and I couldn't afford to lose him.

I decided to just head straight for town and get him to a pokemon centre for a check up. I also needed to buy more food and maybe try to win a battle or two now that I had a starter.

I spent most of that day walking, I rarely strayed from the path determined that I should reach town by nightfall though I knew I was a bit farther away than that. The most exciting part of the day was when something ran across the path effectively startling me enough to jump back several feet. Other than that the only pokemon I saw were the birds flitting from tree to tree. I liked birds, their voices were so pretty and they themselves were rather adorable. They were quite useful to once they grew up some but it was rare to see those because of how difficult it was to train them that far. Wild ones at that stage were usually much to strong for the average trainer and smart enough not to be caught, prefering to nest in far off and difficult to reach places.

When I stopped for lunch in the late afternoon I called out my poochyena again. Once again he kept his distance and whimpered softly at me. I was starting to feel guilty about how I'd treated him the night before but I couldn't see how it was any different than if I'd sent a pokemon to attack him. Do trainers usually have to deal with these kinds of trust issues? Come to think of it I'd never actually heard much talk about taming a wild pokemon. The ones I saw on television or classmates brought to school were always well trained and accepting of humans. I pulled out the jerky I'd saved for him and once again tried to offer it to him,

"Look, I know you're hungry. You haven't eaten all day!" I did my best to tempt him with the treat, to show him my sincerity, "You were eating these yesterday so I know you like them. See, I saved some for you! They're all yours if you just come here and take them."

I noticed that he was shaking for the first time. He would not come near me, but only continued to stare in fear. I thought of recalling him and releasing him in my arms but that just sounded like trouble. He may be small but he did still have teeth. Instead I left the treat on the ground and backed up to sit and watch him. Ten minutes passed before he finally started taking a couple steps forward and only after I acted like I wasn't watching him. He slowly crept forward with his tail still between his legs and ears flat against his head. He stared at me the entire time and after scarfing down the bit of dried meat he skittered back to where he was before. Instead of showing my irritation I put on a smile and acted pleasant.

"Oh! I knew you were hungry, would you like more?" He just stared at me. I reached into the bag and pulled out another strip, placing it on the ground like before, only this time a little closer to me, "There you are!"

I turned back to pretending to read my map and watched from the corner of my eye as he started to inch closer.

xXx

When I stepped into the Pokemon Centre a day later I still hadn't made much progress and handing him to the nurse behind the counter made me a little nervous. They swiped my trainer ID and registered his pokeball under my account before taking him into the back. I headed to the common room and took one of the available public computers as I waited. I pulled up the pokedex application and searched for a profile on poochyena. I pulled out a notebook and started taking notes on the species and recording all the moves that mine should know and should be capable of learning. The list wasn't particularly impressive and I guessed my best bet was to get him to evolve as soon as possible for his much more intimidating evolution. Flipping to the mightyena's profile I grew even more disappointed.

Ah well I shouldn't complain.

"Alex please report to the front desk, Alex."

I jumped at the sound of my name and realized I'd been called over the PA. I grabbed my bag and headed to the front desk as instructed. The nurse handed back my pokeball with barely a glance at me.

"He was a little battered but fine."

"Thank you!" I took my pokeball, "Can you tell me where the nearest pokemart is please?"

"Straight out the door, take a left on Avenue, it'll be to your right."

"Thank's."

I pocketed the ball and headed out the door. Upon reaching the mart I grabbed a basket and look around. Most of the trainer merchandise was beyond my budget, what I had I was saving for food and bare essentials only. Coming across a travel sized sewing kit I decided that it was worth the money and bought that as well. Once I paid for everything I sat on the curb outside and checked my tin. The few crumpled bills remaining looked all the more pitiful inside the large tin and I was growing anxious, I couldn't keep going with this. I went back to the Centre well before dark and claimed one of the sofa's as my spot for the night. They had rooms available and though they were created with trainers in mind, were still to much for me. Luckily they did allow people to sleep in the common room so I did get a roof over my head tonight.

Pulling out the sewing kit I began to patch the tears while listening to gossip and the chattering of little beasts as they ran under the chairs playing their games. It seemed there was no Gym in this town but it was one of the only stops between two major points of interest for trainers so the community was booming.

"Holy shit!"

The room grew quiet and switched to whispers. Biting off the string, I put the needle away and turned to see what all the excitement was about. My eyes grew wide as I saw a great winged pokemon drop to all fours and crawl in through the Centre doors to avoid bumping its head on the ceiling. Its scales were a deep orange colour and the tip of its tail burned with a powerful natural flame.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to withdraw your pokemon", The nurse stood up and crossed his arms, "We don't allow pokemon of such considerable size to wander in our facilities."

The trainer looked exhausted, his hair a great fluffy mess as if he'd been... Flying. I looked at the charizard and imagined flying on its back. So far up in the sky hurtling at unimaginable speeds with the ground nowhere in sight. Would you even be able to breath?

"Ragnarok, return."

Once the charizard had been recalled the room went back to its normal volume, though many people now seemed to be busy showing off their pokemon or talking about how they had met so and so once on route 235445678. Looking around I didn't see any pokemon in this room that were nearly as impressive as the dragon had been. If anything I felt suddenly worse for having so much difficulty obtaining my first pokemon when I thought about how fantastic that guys team was... I was so far behind.

I tested my handy work and decided that my sewing skills weren't that bad. It was holding and should do fine. Next I thought about taking a shower, but with the common room filling up as quickly as it was I didn't want to risk losing my spot. I'd spread all my junk across it to make sure I'd have enough room to lie down. Since this was such a common practice in these places most people didn't mind, but I was sure I'd lose it in an instant should I leave it for anything. I didn't trust leaving my bag here unattended either. Maybe when my poochyena was better trained I'll be able to have him guard my things for me but for now I was going to have to live with paranoia and overprotectiveness. I decided to take a shower in the morning before I left for training, everybody should just keep their distance in the main time.

For the last hour before lights out I watched the common room fill up and the pokemon play. On the other side of the room I'd noticed that someone else had a poochyena, it was wrestling with a very unwilling bidoof. Eventually their trainers noticed what was happening and the poochyena's trainer called it off. It trotted over to her happily, wagging its tail and seemingly not realizing that anything was wrong. It licked at her hands when she tried to discipline him and eventually she broke down into a fit of giggles, hugging it and laughing as it licked at her face. I felt the beginnings of envy as I watched the two of them, they seemed so happy together. Suddenly I found I wanted a bit more than just a soldier, a real companion seemed like it would make things easier for me. Someone I could talk to (even if it couldn't talk back), someone that would sit with me, laugh with me... Someone that would care about me.

I cleaned up my belongings and stretched myself out and turned my back to the rest of the room seeking a little peace in sleep. Eventually I tuned everyone out and fell asleep long before the nurse flipped the switch.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

I stood in an empty parking lot behind a fast food restaurant and invited him out,

"I've decided you need a name", He didn't look as nervous today as before but he still kept his distance. I took that as a good sign and didn't act like anything was wrong, "And you should know a little bit about me too."

I sat on the concrete and smiled at him. He tilted his head and sat down opposite me, "I've legally been a trainer since I was ten, that was three years ago", I held up three fingers, "I've officially been a trainer since two weeks ago though. My uncle, he um... Thought I should try it, you know? It's supposed to be a good experience, builds character and all that."

He only blinked at me. Was he understanding any of this? He was young and was born in the wild, maybe he hadn't had enough experience with humans to understand us yet. I continued anyways,

"I actually always wanted to be a graphic designer, but things got a little difficult at home so um...", I started rolling a pebble under my shoe, "I'm sorry if I scared you, that was a terrible first impression. I'll be a good trainer if you let me."

Looking up at him I realized that he indeed did not seem to be understanding any of this. I sighed and just scratched my head, "I'm going to call you Hollow."

I pulled out some jerky and tossed him a piece. He got up and came forwards for it. It was such a small piece and he was so hungry right then that once he'd snapped it up he just sniffed around and begged for more. I broke off and threw him another piece and he jumped for it. Eventually this developed into a bit of a game, I would throw it and he would catch and slowly he started opening up to me. I smiled and cheered for him as he nearly did a flip for a piece that was particularly high above him. I was making him run away from me rather than slink closer for each piece, but it was working better at bringing him closer to me in other ways. By mid day I'd managed to give him a soft scratch on his head. He'd yelped and run off a bit when he'd realized how close I'd gotten that first time. When I tried to approach him again though he didn't run. I scratched him softly behind the ears and whispered little encouragements to him as his tail began to wag.

I decided not to push my luck and force him into a battle just yet, we were only starting to get along after all and I didn't want to ruin this. Instead I had him walk beside me, getting used to my scent and presence since I figured I would be a constant in his life from then on. I avoided the busy parts of the town, instead walking around in the quieter side streets. I talked to him about nothing in particular. I taught him basic's like yes and no, using heavy emphasis to indicate when he was doing something wrong and when it was ok to do something.

We stopped at every intersection (a strong "NO" from me to let him know that going on was bad), even when there were no cars. I got him to run with me, to walk with a moments notice. He caught on fairly quickly which I was grateful for. He was smart then, just didn't know the language to well. By evening I decided to see if I could teach him basic attack commands. Once I taught him to howl he figured out what I was aiming for and the rest was smooth sailing. He was now tackling and kicking up sand like the best of them.

We played tag in the park and started wrestling when he'd managed to latch onto the heels of my pants, yanking on me and growling as his tail whipped back and forth. We did have to cut it short when he gave me a good nip on the arm, my yell startling him. He'd run back away from me with his tail between his legs and ears laid back and for a moment it looked like the entire day was lost. I looked up at him and smiled to show him everything was alright, his tail began to wag again and he trotted over.

We got back to the Centre a little later than I intended so we ended up sleeping on the floor that night. I kept Hollow out with me and hoped my little bit of trust wasn't going to backfire, the thought of waking up to him gone scared me more than anything. His warm little body was a comforting weight against my stomach as he curled up to sleep. I scratched his head gently as I stared at the dark ceiling. I needed him, and now that he had nobody else in the world he needed me too.

xXx

"Fifty bucks says I win!" The little boy declared, pointing a finger to the air. He was so puffed up at that moment that I couldn't help but laugh a little. He wasn't very pleased.

"Are you even old enough to be a trainer? What are you doing running around betting money like that."

"I'm ten!" He stamped his foot in defiance, "Your not that much older than me!"

"Yeah yeah, lets do this", This was going to be easy.

"Go, Beanie!" A bellsprout swayed into existence giving a little "Bell!" as its battle cry.

"Go, Hollow!"

Hollow looked around and quickly seemed to realize what was happening. He threw his head back and howled long and hard capturing the attention of a few nearby trainers. The bellsprout continued swaying in place, tilting its head to the side momentarily as if asking its trainer if it should do anything. Once Hollow's howl died down the battle began,

"Beanie, Vine Whip!"

"Hollow, Sand-Attack!"

The bellsprout danced forward raising one of its roots; it swung it forward in a motion very similar to a sideways kick. Hollow spun around on his front paws and kicked up sand and dirt in bellsprouts direction. Bellsprouts vines swept his paws out from under him and he crashed down onto the ground.

"Get up get up get up!"

"Whip him again!"

Hollow struggled to his feet and made an awkward run towards me as one of his back legs was caught up by the bellsprout. It wrapped the vine around and reeled him in trying to get a better hit in.

"Hollow-!"

He turned around and bit at the vine, growling loudly. Bellsprout immediately let go and tried to pull away, but its root was caught.

"Beanie, wrap him!" The boy was starting to panic along with his pokemon now, Hollow had a good grip on the little sprout. It weighed next to nothing and he suddenly found it easier to just whip his head back and forth, dragging the poor thing along the ground rather than fight it with anything I had to offer. He started running in circles wagging his tail as Beanies large yellow head bounced painfully along the ground. The boy pulled out its pokeball and tried to return it but Hollow wasn't keeping still long enough for him to get a lock on his pokemon.

"Hollow, STOP!"

He came to a halt and blinked up at me as Beanies trainer quickly recalled his battered pokemon. When he felt the vine dissolve from his mouth he looked around in confusion. The boy threw his money to the ground and ran for the Pokemon Centre. Hollow chased after him barking before I got his attention and made him quiet down. I picked up the money and did a quick count before pocketing it.

"Well, that's a good start. Good job boy!"

Hollow barked, tong lolling out and tail beating against the ground where he sat. He seemed very proud of himself. I grinned and bent down to pet him on the head.

"C'mon, lets go find some more pokemon to beat up!"

We battled twice more before Hollow grew to tired to continue. The second had been with a caterpie and the third a rattata, both battles of which simply came down to who was heavier rather than experience (though neither of them seemed to have much of that either). Hollow weighed considerably more than the caterpie, and though the string shot managed to slow him down it still wasn't enough to stop a tripping tackle headfirst into the caterpillar, knocking it out cold. Rattata, I suspected, might actually have been a part of his diet so he went into that snarling and snapping. Once that battle had ended he'd leaned against my shins and literally fell asleep where he sat so I had no choice but to recall him. As disappointed as I was I couldn't really complain, he'd earned me a little over a hundred dollars and that was fine with me. I thought happily of how I was going to upgrade my plastic water bottles to tins, get a new bag, pick up a blanket...

As I sat there daydreaming I focused on the battles that were taking place around me. We were all just on the outside of town, a few travelling trainers and a bunch of the local kids. Since battling was prohibited inside all towns and cities it was common to see these crowds: kids and teens who were still living at home who wanted to prove their skill and the real trainers who were just milking them of their cash or taking on real challenges to show off among their own. I avoided all of the latter since they seemed well beyond Hollow's level. I studied the pair of trainers closest to me, it was always easy to spot the ones who did it for a living. Like myself they looked like they'd spent days, maybe weeks sleeping out in the open and living off the land. Their clothes were usually worn and frayed around the edges, their skin a little darker from the sun and always they were of an older crowd since few parents would actually let their ten year olds loose into the world. I realized I might actually be one of the youngest here. There was also something about the way they held themselves, a confidence or weariness that I just couldn't quite place my finger on...

I watched as a nidorina charged a sandshrew, easily tossing it into the air with an upward thrust of its head. The sandshrew struggled to get to its feet but was clearly to injured to continue battling. Instead it was withdrawn and replaced with a growlithe.

_Maybe I should add a second member to my team_.

I contemplated what it would be like to have another pokemon like Hollow on my side. More pokemon meant more battles. I wouldn't have to stop when Hollow got tired, I'd just switch. The more I thought about that the more I liked the idea. I would hold off on the tins and bag, what I had was still working after all. I'd get a new pokeball. I thought carefully then added blanket to that list. Preferably one of those ones that were waterproof on one side, it got cold some nights out there. I got up, stretched, then headed back into the main part of town looking for the PokeMart.

I was in and out quickly, my money tin a little lighter than it had been the night before. I'd managed to spend all of todays earnings and a bit more in my little shopping spree. I suddenly didn't feel as stressed for cash and felt that I deserved a little something for all the trouble of the past week. Ripping off the packaging I fastened a trainer belt around my waist and clicked my two pokeballs into the grips. I swung my hips around as hard as I could, making sure it would hold on tight. Satisfied with that I headed to the laundromat. Changing into my pj's (which I rarely used), I tossed everything I owned into the machine and tried my best not to look awkward. I got a couple little snickers but I did my best not to notice as I waited for my clothes to be done. I headed back to the Centre once that was done, took a quick shower then revelled in the feeling of clean. I was feeling better than I had in days.

I sat in the common room looking through one of the trainer manuals they had lying around, my poochyena sleeping peacefully next to me with a stomach full of jerky. The manual was a little out of date but effectively listed most of the pokemon found in this part of the country along with a brief summary about their natures and specialities.

Suddenly someone dropped down next to me and put his feet up on the coffee table.

"You know those dried meats aren't the best thing for your pokemon, they're full of salt. In fact their not very good for you either, I hope your packing more than that for the road."

I looked over in surprise and recognized him as the kid with the charizard from the night before. He was fiddling with some sort of device.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember asking you..."

He gave me a sideways look and I fell silent,

"I've been training for years, trust me when I say I know these things will come back to haunt you", He smiled and I looked away suddenly embarrassed for my rudeness.

"Sorry."

"No problem", He swept his dark brown bangs out of his eyes then continued tinkering with the thing in his hands, "So that's your first pokemon huh?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" I placed a hand on Hollow's back and he made a strange little whine as he wiggled in closer to me still fast asleep.

"I saw you battling earlier and he was the only one you ever used. You two are pretty good, keep this up and you might actually have a shot at the League one day", He grinned at me and I couldn't help but smile back at his encouragement.

"You really think I've got a shot at something like that?"

"Well sure! You need to be optimistic to make it in this world otherwise you'll just beat yourself into a corner."

The device suddenly gave a loud and long beep before fizzling out into static. The boy swore.

Hollow and been woken up by the sound and looked around himself sleepily while I slowly uncovered my ears,

"What is that?"

"It's a pokedex. I dropped it into a puddle a little while ago and now its stopped working", He sighed, "Man, these things are expensive! I really don't want to have to buy another one..."

Suddenly the screen flickered out and he threw his hands up in defeat. Hollow had gotten up and padded over my lap to sniff at the pokedex.

"Hollow, don't-!"

"It's cool. I really do think its beyond repair", he draped one arm across the back of our sofa behind me and reached with his other hand to let Hollow sniff at him for a moment before petting him.

"So what is it that you named him? Hollow?"

"Yeah", I was suddenly very conscious of the arm behind me.

"That's an odd name. How'd you come up with that?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, "It just popped into my head and sort of fit so I went with it."

"Huh."

"Yup."

We sat in silence for a time. He drifted off into his own thoughts and I read up on some trainer tips and facts. I decided I rather liked this book and wondered if anyone would notice if it went missing. It was old and a little roughed up so it was clear it had been here for some time.

As time passed I found it harder to focus on the words in my new book however. Looking around I realized I wasn't the only one drifting. Hollow had fallen back asleep, this time curled up in my lap. The Charizard Boy (as I'd nicknamed him) got to his feet, stretched then bid good night. He'd rented one of the Centre rooms and wouldn't be sleeping out here like so many of us.

I thought jealously of the comfortable bed he must be sleeping in. He was clearly leagues ahead of the other trainers here, owning a fully evolved pokemon like Charizard I could only imagine what else he had locked away on his belt.


End file.
